Situations can occur when your BT series modem is not operating as expected. Several procures can be followed which will help to gather important diagnostic information as well as potentially identify the source of the problem. This information should ideally be gathered before working with Tier 2 support to allow us to quickly identify the potential cause of the issue.
All diagnostics in this guide are done with the use of AT commands. To learn how to connect with a telnet or terminal session, begin with section 1, otherwise you may proceed to section 2.
Please see the sections below:
- Establishing a Telnet or terminal session
- Diagnostic Commands
- Common setting issues
- Communications Diagnostics
Establishing a Telnet or terminal session
Terminal
If you are unable to reach your modem over USB or Ethernet, you will need to use the RS232 port of the modem to establish a terminal connection to the modem. Open a terminal program such as Hyperterminal or Teraterm, select the appropriate COM port and set the port to 115200. Then click connect.
To ensure that communication to the modem is successful, type ATI and press enter. You should see something like this:
Note that the commands entered do not show up on the screen. To enable this, type:
ATE1
This will help ensure the correct command is entered.
Telnet
If you are able to reach your modem over the local LAN or via the cellular connection, you can also telnet into the device to send AT commands. To do this, open your telnet client of choice and telnet to the IP of the modem on the default service port 6070.
Upon connecting, you will see a screen similar to the one below. You will also be prompted for the password for the unit, if one is set.
The diagnostic commands
The AT+BMDIAG command displays numerous pieces of information which may help indicate where the problem resides. Here is a sample of an AT+BMDIAG command from a modem which is operating correctly.
Here are some of the key items and their meaning:
The ATI and ATI1 commands also show you other significant diagnostic information such as the model, serial number, hardware and Firmware versions, etc. as shown below:
Note: If using firmware prior to 3.61 use the following commands instead:
AT+BNSTAT
AT+BIPINF
Common setting issues
There are several common settings which may affect your ability to communicate with the modem. Here are the most common commands which may help restore communication to your modem:
AT+BDHCPE?
This setting indicates whether DHCP is enabled in your modem. If this command is =0, the modem may appear to be working, but you are unable to receive a DHCP address from it. To enable DHCP, send the command AT+BDHCPE=1
AT+BIPACE?
This command toggles the access control list, or ACL. If an invalid or corrupt entry is in the ACL, you may have limited or no communication to the modem. Sending the command AT+BIPACE=0 will disable the ACL (1 will enable it), and should restore your communication to the modem if the ACL was the source of the problem.
AT&F
This command restores the factory defaults of the modem. If you are unsure which settings on the modem have been changed from the defaults, it may be useful to use this command and begin your configuration from the default settings.
Communications diagnostics
There are two commands which may be helpful in determining where a connectivity issue is occurring. These commands are:
AT+BPINGH
This command allow you to send a ping from the modem to the specified IP address. Use this to ensure the address you are sending data to is actually accessible from the modem.
AT+BPINGP
This command is the same as the BPINGH command, however this command also allows you to specify the data port you wish to communicate over. This is useful when checking to ensure a firewall port is open.
Disclaimer
It is the customer's responsibility to review the advice provided herein and its applicability to the system. Red Lion makes no representation about specific knowledge of the customer's system or the specific performance of the system. Red Lion is not responsible for any damage to equipment or connected systems. The use of this document is at your own risk. Red Lion standard product warranty applies.
Red Lion Technical Support
If you have any questions or trouble contact Red Lion Technical Support by clicking here or calling 1-877-432-9908.
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